Breed showcase: Neva Masquerade

Neva Masquerade is a branch of Siberian cat breed. FIFe distinguished it as its own breed in 2010. Siberian cat breed’s origin dates to cold Siberia in 17th century. As the breed spread across Russia, it is believed to have mixed with Siamese and/or holy birma.

Neva’s breed standard is the same as that of Siberian breed’s, except for the color of eyes and fur. Mask variants were named after the river Neva, and Masquerade comes from the “mask”. Neva, as all mask cats, has blue eyes and its “points”, meaning the “colder” areas of the body (face, ears, tail and legs), are in contrast with the rest of the body.

Between years 2010 and 2019 382 Nevas were registered in Finland. Sometimes Nevas are brought to Finland from Russia, Poland and Czech Republic.

Definition of Breed

Neva Masquerade is mid-sized or large, and its body is well-proportioned. It’s muscular and has good bones, a strong neck and a wide chest. The legs are mid-sized and strong, with large and round paws as well as fur tufts between the toes. The tail is mid-length and furry.

Females are smaller than males, and they weigh 4-6 kg and 6-8 kg respectively. The head is massive, gently rounded and a little taller than wide. The forehead is wide and slightly rounded. The cheekbones are well developed. The nose is mid-sized and wide. The profile has a slight dent without a stop. The chin is a little slanting and the jawline is rounded when viewed from the side. The ears are mid-sized and open from the base; their tips are rounded and may have tufts. The ears are also far from each other and pointed forward. The eyes are large, slightly oval and have large separation. The eyes have a clear blue color and a vigilant gaze. The fur is three-layered, thick, mid-length and a little rough.

Neva has a well-developed breast, collar and knee fur. The fur is significantly shorter in the summer compared to the winter fur.

Fur and Personality

Neva’s accepted colors are brown, blue, red, crème and turtle – as well as the silver and golden variants of those colors. There are single-color Nevas with no patterns, and also patterned tabbies, with or without white color. Kittens are always born white.

The fur stays in shape by combing it once or twice per week and washing when necessary. When the fur changes, it is recommended to comb it more often.

Nevas have a very social personality social: they get attached to the owner, kiss and purr.

Neva is present everywhere at home and offer its company easily. The breed is perceptive in some ways, though; Neva is even a little dog-like breed and gets well along with other animals. These cats love various games, and many will gladly fetch items. Their favorite toys are balls and small mice. Male cat is usually calm and gentle, while female is more active and playful. Nevas also like outdoor activities – on a leash in the yard or small walks in the forest. Mild winter frost does not hinder cat’s outdoor activities.

Health

Neva Masquerade is a slowly developing breed. The health conditions are good and breeding cats are scanned for HCM and PKD. Of course, FeLV, FIV and blood group are also taken.

In a new preliminary study on cats’ behavior, researches Milla Salonen and Salla Mikkola from University of Helsinki write that Siberian cats and Neva Masquerades are calm and quite brave towards strangers, as well as social towards people and easily adjusted to changes in the house. Aggressiveness (the reaction to care treatment and petting) and cat sociability (comfort with other cats around) are average compared to other cat breeds.

When Siberian cat and Neva Masquerade is compared to other cat breeds used in the study, Nevas and Siberian cats have more social courage and human sociability, and less activity, fear of new situations and cat sociability than other breeds on average.

Reliable results require more questionnaire answers; this study had 35 Siberian cats and 495 purebred cats in total. The data for this behavior study was collected from “Siperialainen” journal, issue 2/2019.

Hypoallergenic Breed?

Just like Siberian breed, Neva Masquerade has been presented as hypoallergenic breed that is missing Fel d1 protein (main allergen). However, research suggests that the allergen is not missing: its level just varies. The protein is found on cat’s dander, saliva and urine. The cats also have other allergens that can cause an allergic reaction to some people but not the others.

KittenTesting.com and a couple American catteries have tested Siberian cats and Nevas. Half of their cats had low Fel d1 levels, and 15% had exceptionally low levels of Fel d1.

The research had 420 cats and over 200 litters were tested. One or two kittens had an exceptionally low level of Fel d1, but some had moderate or normal levels. If both parents had a normal level of Fel d1, then the kittens had normal to high level of the protein. The allergen level in kittens increases until 16th week. American breeders advertise kittens with lower Fel d1 level as more expensive.

(c) Anne-Maria Skarp, SiniTaigan cattery

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